Reviews of Pete's Diner (Restaurant)

Celia Waraich

Menu was simple but done well. Service was fast. Bathrooms were clean. Tap water we were served had a bad smell/taste (sort of fishy), not sure if this is normal for the area or unique to the restaurant. If you get water there, ask for bottled instead of tap.

Jefferson Barnes

Good food in a funky little diner across the street from the Library of Congress - and it is incredibly cheap. Definitely no frills, but a quick, cheap and good place to go for lunch!

Nicholas Owens

The food was decent but very cheap for being a block from the capital.

David Grizzle

This is my regular breakfast place. The food is good (they have scrapple), friendly, prompt service, very clean. On-street parking is generally available.

Auset Ausar

Microwave food

Jennifer Hohman

If you like a good greasy spoon, Pete's is your place. Good food, good price.

Ken Horton

The price is cheep but the food matches it. Very nice people but my bacon was just a pile of broken pieces. Pancakes were average and syrup was as usual just flavored corn syrup.

Andrew Centofanti

A Hill institution. It's small, so it's usually full during prime times (weekend brunch hours) but it turns over quickly. Good food that's relatively cheap for the area it's located in.

Douglas Haskell

Fun Lunch Spot Near the Capitol Building

Parthenia Palmer

The one star is for Carlos the cook! I have been eating at Pete's since I began my career for the Library of Congress in 1989. I knew Pete personally and He was a good man. When Pete died, the place was never the same. Today, I visited and I was not given the same customer service as others. In fact, Carlos (the cook) had to take my order because the other staff did not...the ignored me as I sat at the bar, right in front of them. While I watched and listened as every customer was greeted and individually asked if they wanted coffee. I was not asked...and, when I asked for coffee, I was given a cup that had lipstick on it. I asked for a to-go cup; and, instead of a fresh cup of coffee, the coffee from the dirty cup was emptied into the to-go cup! Carlos (the cook) is always very pleasant and willing to take my order. However, it was busy and Carlos was attentive to the grill as he continued to receive orders. I finished eating and while the other staff noticed; NONE of them took my plate; nor, printed my receipt so that I could make payment for my meal. Instead, I had to ask the manager in charge if she was going to print my receipt.

Oliver Meissner

I come here every other day for breakfast. Why? The food is amazing, eggs / pancakes are perfectly cooked, staff is so friendly and attentive ... and the coffee cup is always full : )

L K

Dirty looking, home fries tasted like week old dry potatoes. Veggie omelette was also not great.

Enrique

I rarely given a place 5 stars and this place exceeds the standard as a breakfast diner. Incredible food with outstanding focus on customer service. I felt like a family member upon arriving there and there is no better place to eat where you feel at home.

nicole smith

Been going to Pete's about 5 years, always fast and friendly service!! Nice-

Derek Reaves

The good might not be 5 stars but I have to give it 5 stars because my father in law visited this place 2 to 3 days every week for the past 14 years while he lived in DC. It's family owned and the service is great and a place the locals like to stop by. They got to know my father in law and had a spot saved for him and knew his order. The food is good and the place is usually crowded. I'd recommend for breakfast. It's super close to the capital and a great place to start your morning early if you're going to visit the capital or library of Congress.

Steve Berkley

Best Mom and Pop restaurant still around on Penn Ave

Craig Foucht

Terrible. Everything was premade even my omelette. My friend sent back his chicken parmesan. Our waitress really didn't speak English. Coffee was not good at all.

William Baker

Food was poor quality, relatively high prices for small portions. Ok service, would not go back.

Richard Bay-Ramyon

Friendly, great home cooked food a part of Americana in DC no matter your political persuasion

Jennifer BC

This was ok. Good for a cheap and quick eat. The food was kind of cold and ok at best.

Anthony Washington

The taste of the food is only average

Amanda Semple

Loved this place

Brian L

Is this a give star restaurant? No. Is it a great place to get a good breakfast at a great price quickly? Absolutely! If you want to wait 45 minutes for a table, fine. If you want to be seated immediately in a real diner and get your order quickly an cooked perfectly, try Pete's.

Damon Johnson

Fast service, but warm inside on a Summers day.

Mahmudun Nabi

Enjoyed a lot

Dawn Koenig

The food was delicious and the people working here were extremely pleasant!!

Ken Stronach

Very reasonable, decent diner food

Kubra Ekiz

I ordered traditional diner breakfast. The portion was really small compared to most diners. I dont like either, they should be better.

Jake Garza

This is the good old fashioned diner you’ve been trying to find on Google. Straightforward menu, fast service, low prices, and most importantly delicious food. Highly recommended. Uptight foodies keep in mind this isn’t some trust fund dive. You’re here to eat cheap but good food and that’s it — simple. Don’t be like that princess reviewer here who left a one-star review because his egg wasn’t poached well enough.

Bakari Sibert

The food is terrible; maybe I made the mistake because it's listed under cheap food but I didn't think it was this bad. My milk shake was almost all milk, my waffles where like eating plastic and had no flavor. I wouldn't send my worst enemy to eat here .

Andrew medic03

Great food. Great service. Good prices. Will return.

Patrick Sharpe

Vastly overpriced. Sandwiches were poor quality and fell apart. Nice bathrooms.

Lukas H

Very nice diner, excellent service, fair prices.

Jose Negrin

Mediocre food and service.

Keegan Lemke

Great place people were really nice and food was bomb you know it's good local place when there are places up and down the road and people still choose this hole in the wall

Angelina Gonzalez

Good for a quick bite to eat and good food variety

Laura Kaminer

Yummy, homemade tasting food! Great for a hangover cure

Trenton Ousley

The food was super fast and tasted great. Good prices for the area and nice hometown feel with a slight Asian twist. Really enjoyed it and will be going back!

Wendie Goodwin

Great food and service for family. There wasn't a long wait. The restaurant was clean and presentable. It's a great place to go for a quick bite and back out in a short amount of time.

Vlad Zaiets

Place is literally iconic amongst the locals. It’s a very decent diner. Also make sure to try their delicious pancakes with blueberries.

Muhammad Aziz

Great coffie spot and breakfast place on the go. Nice cozy place. Great staff.

Melinda Noah

Great reasonably priced food.

Racheal Luna

The food was decent and so was the service but they seemed a little disorganized...

Samuel Wells

I visited this restaurant with my father on my first trip to DC after googling the best breakfast diners in DC. This however was undoubtedly one of the worst restaurants I have ever dined at. The service, although very fast was almost laughable as to how bad it was. When our food arrived it was slammed on the table with a "here" and the waitress left immediately. We had both ordered breakfast B1 and our eggs poached. What greeted us was a bowl full of warm water and a raw egg floating in it. When asked if it could be cooked a little more then were then returned as hard boiled eggs. In addition to the above the meat on the breakfast was either very well done and dry (ham) or barely cooked (sausage). All in all this is one of the worst breakfasts I've ever eaten and based on my experience I cannot recommend anyone dine there.

Steve Paddock

This is a great spot for breakfast, unique decorations, attentive staff, and the food is always very good. I recommend the Pete special

Domenic Maturo

Good food, quick service! Cramped but excellent service!

Justin Shum

Only true diner on the hill.

Grace Elizabeth

I have been here for breakfast a few times. The service is always fast and the food is really good.

Joseph Pellish

Very friendly, good comfort food, and decent prices. Had lasagna and salad special for lunch.

Lois Savage

A quick breakfast or lunch and a good cup of coffee is yummy.

Bruce Durham

Great food, wonderful people. Service was great.

Devin Kinney

Good bacon, clean, kind and an overall great home in the wall place.

Maximilian Martinez

Best veggie omelet I have ever had and I've been around the world 11 times, the owner and staffs customer service were set a standard for awesomeness...

Jennifer Buntz

Local color + fast, friendly staff make this a great place for a quick bite.

Stephen Steinke

Great place excellent service, friendly , professional staff. Good eats.

C M

This is a little piece of America tucked away next to the Capitol. A classic diner with all the American style foods you could want to order, served up promptly. Employees are friendly and on top of everything. Only knocking a star off due to the small size - if enough people are in here it's difficult to move around when you need to get from one side of the establishment to the other. Not the place you're going to see the "elite" of DC at, so relax and enjoy yourself.

Edmond Bedjeti

The food is cheap. So you have that. I think that is why they get 2 starts instead of 1. (The waitress was also nice) The serving area is claustrophobic. We had 2 different tires of pancakes and something was off. My wife thinks it's the syrup. The bacon was just gross.

Joe Bella

Loved it. Real food. Very enjoyable

ableryder

I don't understand the negative reviews here. I went to this place twice and both times, the staff was very friendly, they give you free water and free refills for your coffee. The food was delicious and affordable.

Steven Cooper

Good food - nothing super fancy but if you're in need of a good breakfast then you can't go wrong here. Vegetarian omelette was good and food came extremely quickly. Nice outside seating just away from the crowds on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Robo Polo

Great food! Great service. Really enjoyed their mashed potatoes and turkey

Scott Murray

Nice setting. Good service.

Adrian Harris

Cool old school diner with good food on Capitol Hill.

John Bassett

Fast service, inexpensive, good food.

Phillip P.

An old standby. Cash only and they move food and people quickly. Downside is the food isn't too-notch, service can be short with patrons, and it is crowded. I prefer Jimmy T's on East Capitol.

lawrence thompson

Food is wonderful

Leonardo Soto

Not the best food. Very nice people and service. Food was greasy

Charles Adebayo

If you need food sure. But if you have time go elsewhere. Not great. Not bad. Average average. Sweet workers though.

Jeanne Fiocca

Wowza. Good thing this was funny, because the service was awful and food mediocre. The two people taking orders basically yelled at you in a very heavy accent and it was very hard to understand each of them. I joked with my friend I was with that it would be more realistic if the woman server ended every sentence with "b*tch". Like, "More water, b*tch?" They didn't even know where orders went when they came out, so they would just yell the item name until someone basically screamed "BINGO!" and won the prize. A laughable experience.

Michael Miles

We had great service, coffee never went low, fast food delivery and tasty bacon. Went out of our way to find a simple diner and was worth it!

Don Macleod

Great food, good service, highly recommend

frank leonard

Nice little place near library of Congress.

Spencer Booth

Amazing price for the quality of food!! All the classic breakfast items!

Curt Wilkins

Great food. Great table service! Talk about condiments at each table! Excellent!

Markus Robinson

Greeted warmly; food was good and served fast.

Dante Bucci

The food is good standard diner breakfast . only thing was all the food came out at different time i finish my meal bu the time my wifes pancakes came out weird

Chrispy

Hidden next to the Capitol, service is quick and nice, food is pretty good and a meal is the cheapest around portions are a little small but for 3 people with complete meals it was only about $29, highly recommended, makes you feel like a regular.

Christie Lleras

The waitress was rude and the food was awful. Waitress rolled her eyes at me when I asked if they had flavored iced coffee. Then I was told that the menu was wrong when I try to order from the menu.

John K

Always good food and great staff

Colleen Cahill

Great stuff here. I recommend getting a grilled blue berry muffin. The vegetarian lunch special is fabulous, even if you aren't a vegetarian. The staff is wonderful and this is my favorite spot for breakfast.

cassandra stines

They have good hamburgers

GLENN BANKSTON

I had a steak and cheese sandwich with fries. It was hot and tasted great. Fast and courteous service. The diner is small and a bit cramped, but it seems that is the norm for the area. I would recommend it if you want a good hot meal that isn't fast food.

Matt Underwood

Waitress spat food on my hand when she took my order. Poor, rude service. Had to ask 3 times for a refill on coffee. Food wasn't good. Not sure why it was listed as a top DC diner in Eater. Stay away.

Elizabeth Butler

The food was delicious!!!!!!!!!!! The service was amazing! Our sever was very helpful and kind! Our family loves Pete’s Diner sooooo much!!!!!!!!!!!! We will definitely come here again!

John Walsh

Not much to say about it. It was a good dinner with reasonable prices and food-

Abel Goncalves Pereira

Had a Grilled Chicken Salad, it was very nice. The location is great, service was nice and quick. It was what you'd expect from small dinner.

Jay Brown

In not picky and the hamburger and fries were the worst I have ever had in my life. Burger had to be a frozen patty. Fries had a terrible taste like the grease they were fried in was old. I never leave food uneaten at a restaurant but my fries were untouched and I quit after a few bites of the burger. To add insult to injury my son laughed after I quit and pointed out a huge hair protruding from under the bun

Margaret Frieske

Great friend dinner, simple menu, great staff !!?!

Thim Liew

Breakfast is not so busy and you can relax and have Pete's special brew coffee which is quite good.

Marion Sewell

Fast friendly service, typical diner menu. Just what you’d expect a diner to be. Plus, they have all the condiments, including cream,on the table!

lindinmoskva

Basic old style diner, counter service, good breakfast, reasonable prices.

Shannon Burns

Great diner for breakfast or lunch. Quick service and reasonable prices

wanda jones

Friendly staff the food was okay

Sainbayar Beejin

Love it. Place for families!

Damion Linder

After a co-worker told me about this place I needed to check it out. Nothing like having your own diner around the corner, right?! So, regarding the customer service, it's was pretty good. The cashier was friendly and the waitress was on it. I walked into the diner and 10 seconds later my order was placed. Regarding the food. It is a bit over priced for what you get. 6' steak and cheese sub with fries and soda for 10 bucks. I guess in D.C. that's not so bad, but just to be warned. The taste of the food was good for the most part. I guess my biggest beef is that I clearly told the line cook what I wanted on my order and she didn't provide the order requested. All and all I have had worse experiences.

Lachelle Slade

Went by to try it. . . Had heard good things. Sat dow. At the counter at 2p and was told that they were closed; even though all information says they're open until 3p. I wasn't served even a water. Won't ever go back, nor will I ever recommend it.

Amy Morgan

The food is hot, tasty and cheap. Got here about 10am, no wait, a few tables empty. Friendly, fast service and blueberry pancakes. Everything I hope for in a diner. One star removed just for having a very basic menu, and no subbing toast for pancakes. Will definitely be back!!

Jamie Blake

Basic diner with a decent American breakfast and typical burgers and sandwiches lunch options. You can’t get around DC prices; everything is inflated here, but this isn’t a bad deal for what you get compared to places nearby. Just don’t expect gourmet; this is definitely diner fare! Service is quick and friendly, but the place has a fairly high turnover so it’s not like a cafe where you’d want to linger. Note: credit card minimum is $10, so if you just want to stop in for coffee bring cash or head next door!

Evan Kelley

Good food good price, friendly people working there

John Starski

Great for a quick and tasty breakfast.

Don Lipscomb

Friendly service, comfort food. Not what I usually eat, but it was close by.

Sara Rodriguez

During our visit to DC we stopped in for breakfast one day and lunch on another day. Both times the service was fast and friendly. Everything we ordered was served fast and hot and was delicious! We would definitely recommend Pete's!

Kristine Leuvelink

One of the last diners in the area.

Jim Blount

Good food and good breakfast.

Tanya Ramey

My meal, salmon teriyaki, was delicious. The place was cramped though; the staff, friendly. I plan to return.

Ivan Ruffin

Awesome food and customer service! Highly recommended.

Will Myers

Food was just ok and I spent $40 on 3 sandwiches, a breakfast platter and 4 drinks...

Rob Devries

Amazing koran BBQ

Brandon Kyle McWaters

Pete's diner is a great hole in the wall. Awesome breakfast food at reasonable prices. Service is always friendly and super fast. When I lived on that side of town I was there every Sunday morning.

Tom Nicholls

Good American diner, coffee was good, prices are reasonable

Don Cartwright

Good food, Great people.

Selita Janey

Really nice place

Lauren Hovde

Really enjoyed this dinner. Its a strange mashup of Asian food and traditional American diner food but somehow it works.

Anna Turosky

Very fast! And the green tea is delicious.

Nicole Banales

Quite homey compared to the rest of DC. Good, earnest service.

Alisha K

Ok place...breakfast was tasty but service was so-so, expensive to make any adjustments to your selection off the menu, and portions are really small

Ilsy Marilyn

Love my breakfast and coffee here. Thank you!!!

Nandadulal Kundu

Reasonable price

Steve Smith

My favorite breakfast place in the entire DC area when I lived on Capitol Hill. Always loved my regular order of French Toast. Are Gum and Amelia still there? They were the best. ❤❤❤

Collin Anderson

The staff was friendly and service was quick. Portions were smaller than usual diners but the food was pretty standard diner fare.

Will Schanno

Good local diner. The food is cheap especially considering how expensive food is the DC. The service was fast and we were in & out in a half hour. I never went here before but this will probably be my new go to close to work.

Alvaro Blazquez

Great diner. The place to go near the Capitol for an affordable breakfast.

Tony Fi

The Amercan hospitality is lost here... hard working imigrants.. but the place lacks quality and substance.. pricey for breakfast for what you get... not my kind of place ...small portions not very well done...

Emmanuel Chan

We were here a couple of weeks ago. Service was quick. Staff were friendly. Bathrooms were clean. My sunny side up eggs were perfectly cooked. Hot chocolate was delicious. Great place to start your day.

Neil Scott

Friendly staff with down home good fóod.

Travis Johnson

Very casual but worth a stop for a meal. Super nice servers and food comes fast. Been there several times for brunch/lunch.

agreene175

Fast and attentive service, employees had a great attitude. Loved the vegetarian combination platter for lunch!

Erin D.

Had the wild ginger pumpkin soup and grilled cheese. The soup was AMAZING! Cute little diner. Good service. If in the DC area, a good place to stop for a bite.

Donna Arcaro Serratore

Good diner food for a quick bite. Prices were okay for DC. The place needs to be insulated better, because it was very drafty in the restaurant and the bathrooms.

james wroe

Taters hard bacon over done

Dylan Roe

Absolutely outstanding!!! Fast, efficient, and absolutely delicious!!! My coffee cup was never half empty. These people know what it is to run a diner!!

C R

Great diner food in a very clean environment. The diner staff are extremely friendly and went to make sure that the customer is pleased with his or her experience. Only a few minutes walk away from the Capitol. Also, the bathrooms are very clean. This dinner is great for locals and small groups visiting DC.

Ammon Simon

I agree with John Boehner. This place is the best.

Jennifer Manon

Fast and great food. Friendly staff

Nikos Koutsoupias

Completely sucks. In another city, they would have been shut down or gone out of business by now.

James Nickel

Outstanding omelette. Joyful service.

Lavette Spears

Great service and great food

Bart Goodwin

Great food and service for family. I was in and out quickly. The food was great and at a decent price. Table services were excellent and friendly. My friends and coworkers love and enjoy coming to Pete's. My family and I really enjoyed Pete's food and service

Joseph Renard

Plain, simple, good & fast meals. Breakfast all day, 7 days a week.

Buffy Adkins

Great side salad. Hostess was so happy and greated us as if we were old friends.

Burl Finkelstein

Ok for a quick lunch

David Castle

This is a quintessential diner in the heart of D.C. The decor is not "inspired" and the restaurant will never earn a Michelin star, but its nice to find a good place to eat a few blocks from the capitol building that offers good food at a reasonable price in a comfortable setting.

Aliza Forman

I'm vegan, I ordered the veggie plate, not knowing what to expect. It was outstanding, full of lots of different flavours.

Jonathan Walker

Ridiculously fast service. Food for the price was perfect.

m Hackney

Nice Mom and Pop place good food excellent service

ANY & EVERYTHING With Marisa & Lenai

Food was delicious ( i got the lasagna w/ a salad) so good. People were nice and prices were really cheap and food came out fast and hot. There were a lot of people eating here which was a good sign since i never have been here before

U Dunmore

Great delicious dinner style food

Matthew Gorenc

Long time customer. Always friendly and FAST. Typically flat iron diner fare. You won't be disappointed.

robelec4

Great food and service. Have ate there for several years and always a good visit. Great location and easy access to LOC.

barncap589

the food was good the price was decent

Keith I Myers

I was briefly in town for a layover at Union Station and needed a quick place to grab some breakfast. Pete's Diner was a mile walk from Union Station. The service was very quick and the food was both fresh and reasonably priced for being in the heart of Washington DC.

Patrick Desloge

A friendly and affordable place in a location where there is little else.

Holden Thomas

Amazing diner, could not be better.

Steve Phillips

Good cheap eats in usually expensive DC. Short walk from Capital Building. A nice find.

Don Marquardt

Great location, good food, friendly service, and a laughing Buddha inside. What more do you want?

Karen Bissonnette

Excellent breakfast

Will 0

Great food, nice people and the prices were really cheap! 5 stars

Raíssa Mendes

Good price and food, unfortunately you feel pressured to eat fast since they give you the check and start cleaning while you're there